Rigardt@Scott

Nice John, glad to see you are getting good use from her!

Cush core does ride softer at any given pressure than without cush core (not much), but it also allows you to run lower pressure and keep sidewall stability, not burp, not bottom out your tire on your rim, etc. Rekon vs Agressor - depends on the riding you do. I'd be keen to try out a 2.6 Rekon on the back with a 2.6 DHR2 on the front. But I am pretty happy with the Agressor front and rear combo on the hardtail for now. Aggressor rolls fast enough for the rear, and the tread pattern means it is nice and grippy on the front - especially in loose over hard / dry trails in Western Cape summer. I'd still choose a DHR or DHF in the front in wet weather though. The price of a 2.6 Rekon has put me off trying it. But it looks like a good rear tyre, even decent on the front for flowy or less steep stuff.

Done both, also gonna say 29x2.5. The Slade's rear end is compliant enough, so no need for the plus sized rubber. I am currently on Maxxis Agressor 2.5s front and rear with CushCore inserts - it rides super comfy.

If you price your items like this guys it will be hard to sell.... https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/hardtail-mountain-bikes/417928/custom-specialized-stumpjumper-2016

For sure the fork - no contest. You will feel the difference in both, but the Pike will transform your bike.

It's a business. Nothing is for free. Exactly as you say, use it, don't use it. I just hate the entitled attitude of complaining that one has to pay shipping for a complimentary pair of socks. Every which way you look at it, it's a pair of socks you didn't have before.

Well surely one can't expect them to cover shipping? It's still R125 less than what a pair would have cost you... I also wouldn't get just the free pair, but it's a hell of a nice bonus for doing nothing if you were planning on buying socks anyway.

You don't even have to finish (I did, but ride is not uploaded), and I still got my mail this morning. But very clever move, after the virtual run I ended up buying 5 pairs to get free shipping. Would be interesting to see how many sales they made this morning.

Ja nee... too much effort for a virtual certificate.

Garmin app still not working...

Ekt net gedab, nie geval nie... maar as dit jou maak beter voel kan jy maar so sê.

Lekker, nou gaan Iron Monkey jou b**ch wees

If I am not mistaken the high end Breville machine and the Sage one is one and the same with a slightly different skin. Not to be confused with the 10k odd Breville that can be bought from @Home - although there is nothing wrong with that one either.

Can't comment on the brand, but two things to consider.... The portafilter is 57mm, not 58mm. Small difference, but that means you won't be able to buy aftermarket baskets, and portafilters should you want to. Well, your choices will be much more limited than if you had a 58mm size. The boiler is very small, only 250ml.... which means that steamer may run out of steam (pun intended) quite quickly if you are making 2 lattes in a row. On the upside, this is a good price for a machine with a built in PID, which is very nice. My money however would be spent at Cape Coffee Beans on a Rancillio Silvia with PID paired with a Rocky grinder. Don't know the exact price, but it will be slightly more - shouldn't be by much.

Get a new intake, some straight pipes, and get it remapped - then you will feel it pull!! Only problem is it's only fast in a straight line! I came off a superbike onto this and it scared the bejezuz out of me the first time I went up Helshoogte and scraped the footpegs! Enjoy it, it's one of the few truly classic HDs left in the lineup.

How's it treating you? I had one just like it a couple years ago and miss it a hell of alot!

Don't have a particular one in mind because I don't have the cash for it now (or a real need tbh), but when I do replace, yes it will be one with a built in PID.

A PID won't speed up the process at all (not sure if that is what you are saying), it will just help with consistency. My 2c, if you want an awesome cup of coffee every time - get the PID, if you want an awesome cup of coffee and you want to pump out a few in a row - get a double boiler. But I agree, PIDs have become super pricey. So much so that I don't think I will invest in one for my Silvia, I am going to put the money away for a double boiler machine that tackles the speed and consistency issue in one go.

I have a Silvia, it's a solid machine that has been serving me well for about 5 years now. The Silvia is a single boiler, so you will have to temp surf if you are doing milk based drinks - it's not hard, but it's a bit of a pain and gets time consuming if you are making multiple lattes/cappucinos at one time, but for 2 cups at a time it's fine. Like others said, grinder is important. I have a Rancillio Rocky, which will outlast my machine. Is the PID worth it - yes. I don't have one, and consistency without it is hard. Like Philip said, the PID controls your temp closely which makes a big difference to your end result. Without the PID all the machine tells you is temp over or under. And as you will learn with espresso, to get a good shot you need to keep all variables consistent - a PID makes that possible. It's the one thing I find is missing from my machine. I looked at investing the other day, but at the price they are going for recently I almost feel like I can sell my machine and get something with a double boiler. Kinda contradicting myself with this last statement...

At the right (once off) price, yes.

Reviving an old thread here. Anyone know where I can rent a shockwiz in Somerset West area for a weekend?

Me too, I quite like it. I think it would like quite nice on a stealth bike. I had some in my "cart" on their website the other day - but with the poor exchange rate and expensive shipping to SA we are talking about R3000 for a set of tyres. A bit sad as these tyres are getting good review. Their dollar price is actually decent though...

I have two, great product. I think I may have told you about this before. I pack mine quite full, with only a cm overlap of the straps at the bottom. I just take a long velcro and wrap it around the whole bag and rails in the same spot as the bag's strap. It works a treat. Mine are on my gravel and XC bike and have not fallen off at all. Rattle free, and dropper friendly.

Nothing like some new goodies for the bike to motivate one to get out and play in the mud. This photo taken during the only 5mins of sunshine the whole day. Edit: Wrong thead, but I'll just leave it here. Rode at Wannabees since it's on my backstep and the only trail system close to me that drains well enough to ride in the wet without buggering up the trails.

I haven't owned Hopes, so can't really compare the two. I do have a set of Cura 2s. They are quite simply amazing. I am a very heavy guy, and they stop me easily on very steep trails. In comparison to other brakes I have used they offer great stopping power, good modulation, and a nice lever feel. The gap between the pads is small, so your alignment needs to be spot on otherwise your rotors will rub. In terms of maintenance the Curas are simple, spares are available in SA, and in my experience they don't need bleeding very often. Stick to using Formula metallic pads - they last long. If you are looking at Hope brakes they are gonna be expensive, so for that sort of money I'd buy Cura 4s. I can't imagine the Hopes will come close to the Cura 4s in terms of performance.